Greening Up with EcoPit, a Conscious Carwash in Fashion Valley

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With all of the green-lifestyle options available for San Diegans these days, the idea of an eco-friendly car wash can make a person think one of two things: "Washing my car is bad for the environment?" or, "On what planet could a carwash be eco-friendly?"

EcoPit (which is a nickname for an "ecological pit stop"), a bona-fide environmentally sound carwash in Fashion Valley, associates itself with the ocean-supporting organization Think Blue, and provides new answers to the questionable practices involved in washing the world's cars. I recently spoke with EcoPit's owner David Weizman, an industrial designer previously from New York, who is now dedicated to greening up the city of San Diego.

"What does San Diego not know about washing their cars?" I asked him, "Obviously it uses up considerable amounts of water, but is there something below the surface that makes the process anti-environmental?"

"It's a water waste, definitely," David said, "but more than that, it's about pollution. What most people don't think about is when you wash your car, where does the water go? People think water goes straight into a sewage system, but it actually goes right down the storm drain and into the rivers. It doesn't get treated or filtered at all. So, the water you use to wash your car gets wasted, and then it pollutes much more water."

Q: The wash-water picks up oil and gasoline residue, among any number of things, and then just gets drained out?

A: Yes, unfortunately that is correct.

Q: But what about traditional commercial carwashes? They don't have any kind of filter process for their grey water?

A: Most carwashes don't have appropriate containment and disposal facilities or processes. In 20 years, it's really going to matter what's happening with that water. Sooner than that, it will matter in San Diego

Q: Where did you get the idea for an eco-friendly car wash?

A: I've actually never been asked that before. I got the idea from these guys in Mexico. When you park your car on the street, they tell you, "Hey, I'll keep an eye on your car for you while you eat lunch, and I'll wash it, too." In Mexico, they don't use lots of water, they just use a towel and they wash your car while you're doing something else you were going to do anyway.

Q: So convenience is a main priority at EcoPit?

A: Absolutely. You drop your car off with us, and most people don't remember where they've parked anyway, and you go to Nordstrom's for a cup of coffee, or you go see a movie, or do your shopping. Then, when you come back for your car, it's clean and ready to go.

Q: So what happened after you got the initial idea for your green system?

A: We did a lot of research, and the more we did, the more we discovered that it was really possible to do what we wanted to do, and that it would work.

Q: Your website mentions quite a bit of recent press coverage.

A: We were on Fox News recently, and we were named "Most Original Gift" on Channel 8 - we will have gift cards available for Christmas shoppers. We also worked directly with Honda; Honda sponsored 100 free carwashes with us every day, for locals after the 2007 wildfires.

Q: Tell me about your products. Do you use special solutions?

A: Our products are natural, and they basically make the water we use slipperier, so we don't have to use as much.

Q: About how much water does it take to wash one car at EcoPit?

A: Between 5 and 8 ounces- about the same amount of water necessary for making instant pancakes.

And what people don't know is that, aside from pollution, most carwashes use soap on your car, which dries out the paint and makes it look dull. Our products moisturize the paint, so if you do it over time, it will restore the paint job on your car. And, it leaves an ionized layer that repels dust, so your car looks cleaner longer. We could wash your car just once every two weeks, and you would always be driving a clean car.

Q: These products you have developed, are they something people could use themselves, if they wanted to wash their own cars?

A: We're working on that right now. Our products should launch in December on the website and at some locations; we'll offer the Eco-Clean, Eco-Shine, and Eco-Wonder (a natural de-greaser).

Q: Are there any other green San Diego businesses that you support in the community?

A: Whole Foods, they're really good - a little expensive, but you're getting natural foods. I also support fast food companies that now offer salad bars, and post information like ‘No MSG,' to let people know what they're getting.

Being an earnest and savvy businessman, David hosted me and my car for a full carwash, and wanted to make sure I had my green experience before writing this feature. EcoPit car washes cost between $11 and $30, depending on how big your car is and how much you want done.

Let it be said out loud that my '98 Montero and its dirt are like childhood friends that try hard to grow apart, but the forces of the world are just so strong that the two of a kind end up stuck together. I did make the effort to at least empty my vehicle of all the papers and clothes and bits of tree branches (don't ask?) that somehow always line the interior.

I parked at one of several locations (or "Pits" as Weizman calls them) within the Fashion Valley mall. You can find a Pit just about anywhere you'd want to park, and they are very subtle. There's no need for excessive space, because there's no extreme water to slosh around.

The guys working at the Pit were very cordial, and told me the full wash would take about 2 hours, which ended up being correct, almost to the minute. It would be totally hackneyed to say that I didn't recognize my car when I got back there, so I will refrain. Still, EcoPit really does take care of the cars left in their charge.

I got to talking with Marcel, an EcoPit employee, and asked him about the eco-conscious products. "This stuff is totally natural and biodegradable," he said. "You could drink it if you had to. Actually, one of our detailers did it on a bet. He said it wasn't that bad."

Marcel also addressed the extent of the services offered by EcoPit. "At first appearance, people see it's a convenient car wash, but it's actually much more than that. We're a professional detailer."

I leave you with a last thought from Weizman, who recognizes the need for timeliness in going green in San Diego. "I'm pretty sure we're not ahead of time in what we're doing," he says, "We're very much on time."

EcoPit operates from 10am until dark, every day. For more information, visit the EcoPit website at ecopit.com.